


Stopping the Bullet

by unhappyhippo



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-12
Updated: 2011-05-12
Packaged: 2017-10-19 07:32:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/198442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unhappyhippo/pseuds/unhappyhippo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rossi talks to Reid immediately following <i>Minimal Loss</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Stopping the Bullet

**Author's Note:**

> Episode Coda for 4.03 Minimal Loss (spoilers). The vaguest of references to potential slash relationships.

David Rossi is a profiler extraordinaire, but he doesn’t have to be right now. It takes perhaps 0.001% of his skills to read the _go away_ in Reid’s body language.

The rest of the team clearly have, as JJ, Prentiss, Hotch and Morgan are all sitting together playing cards. Rossi had let Prentiss slide into his seat on the jet and take over his hand when she’d finished talking to Reid, excusing himself to go to the bathroom and then sitting down in front of Reid instead of returning to the game.

Rossi knows what’s wrong with Reid, and he also knows there’s no need for any subterfuge with the inherently honest Reid, and so he goes for the subtle-as-a-brick approach.

“So,” he says directly. “What’s up?”

Reid looks up from his book.

“No one’s said anything to her,” Reid says, sounding incredulous.

Rossi raises an eyebrow, encouraging Reid to continue.

“Cyrus had a gun pointed at my face, was talking to me, and Prentiss just _jumps_ in and takes the heat and _no one’s_ told her she was wrong.”

“It was a good move,” Rossi says, blandly. “Probably much better he thought she was the agent than you. An egomaniacal macho personality like his was far more likely to open up to, to listen to, a man than a woman. It gave you the chance to earn his trust.”

Reid is shaking his head. “That’s not why she did it,” he says, and Rossi doesn’t bother to refute that.

“Prentiss is a good person and a strong woman. She’d have done the same if anyone she cared about had a gun pointed at them.”

“I know but if _I_ had done it,” Reid’s voice has risen a little bit, and he pauses to get it back under control, “if I had done it Hotch would have yelled my ear off, and Morgan, God, Morgan would have had a _stroke_ , but they’re all _oh, good job_ to Prentiss.”

Rossi shrugs, “I don’t know what to tell you, kid. I hate to break it to you, but you’re the youngest and most vulnerable looking in a team full of alpha personalities. They’re going to want to protect you. They’re not going to think Prentiss did anything wrong because it’s exactly what they would have done.”

“I don’t need protecting,” Reid says vehemently.

“Hotch has a young son he doesn't see as much as he’d like to and he transfers a little of that to you, he can’t help it, and JJ's feling pretty maternal right about now, what with the baby on the way, and well, Morgan’s been the man of his family since he was a boy and has a mother and sisters living much too far away for his liking and a big brother complex a mile wide,” Rossi leaves Morgan there, although there’s a lot more he could say.

“I don’t need protecting,” Reid says again, but this time he sounds resigned rather than angry.

“I know,” Rossi says. “And so do they, really. But good luck convincing any of their guts of that. They’ll all step in front of a bullet for you if they see it coming, so my advice is to make sure you keep an eye peeled so maybe you get to see it coming before they do.”

Rossi closes his eyes and settles back for a nap, satisfied.

“Why didn’t _you_ say something to her?” Reid asks.

Rossi doesn’t open his eyes, “It was the right thing to do based on Cyrus’s profile. I don’t argue with the right action whatever the reason someone takes it.”

Reid hums in acquiescence, and Rossi hears the soft sounds of pages turning.

He smiles smugly to himself. He’s made Reid feel better and if it makes Reid even 1% more aware of the danger in his surroundings then it was well worth the time. After all, even though he knows he would, Rossi doesn’t _really_ want to have to step in front of that bullet either.


End file.
